A 61-year-old Fordham-area resident was killed late last month when a livery cab driver lost control of his Lincoln Town Car at a busy Fordham Road intersection last month and crashed through a storefront window.

On Thursday, April 21, at about 2 p.m., authorities and witnesses said 61-year-old Carmen Ahmed had just left Cee & Cee Department Store at 331 E. Fordham Rd., near the corner of Bainbridge Avenue, when the taxi jumped the curb and pinned her under vehicle.
Emergency rescue crews arrived and freed Ahmed, who was rushed to St. Barnabas Hospital but she died on the way there.

Ahmed, a grandmother of five, lived on Bainbridge Avenue, just down the block from the store, and, coincidentally, worked at the billing department at St. Barnabas for the last 18-years. “She was a popular and beloved employee, and for a long time she was part of the St. Barnabas family,” hospital spokesman Steven Clark told the Daily News. “It’s really a terrible time here.”The still unidentified driver, who reportedly swerved to avoid hitting another pedestrian, was taken in by police for questioning, but no charges or citations have been issued and investigators appear to be treating the deadly crash as an accident.

Enerio, who has run a pastillo stand on the corner of Bainbridge and Fordam Road for the past three years, said he saw the tragedy unfold.

“The driver was coming (east) down Fordham,” Enerio said. “He was going too fast. But he was a little too quick when he tried to turn. The guy tried to avoid people [walking], possible human error.”

Another witness, who did not want to be identified, said, “The woman had just left the store when the taxi hit her. Everyone, including the driver, tried to help her.”

Noel, a longtime customer of Enerio’s, said Fordham Road is ripe for these type of accidents.  “There are problems with the lights,” Noel said. “They should have a light specifically for people who want to turn. This can absolutely happen again. There are cars coming up and down all the time.”

Eli Roman, the manager of the nearby Sports Max stores, said blame shouldn’t be shouldered by the driver alone. “It gets crowded around here, especially that corner because it’s a one-way street. People don’t pay that much attention when they are crossing.”

The incident marked yet another pedestrian death in the northwest Bronx. On February 11, 11-year-old Russell Smith was killed while crossing the Grand Concourse at East 183rd Street. In March, 23-year-old father Thomas Riley was trying to hail a cab on East Fordham Road, near Bathgate Avenue, when he was struck and killed by a drunk driver.